


some superhero, some fairytale bliss

by maelstrcms



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Bedtime Stories, Child Osaki Shotaro, Domestic Fluff, Doyutaro Family, M/M, Married Couple, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28362858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maelstrcms/pseuds/maelstrcms
Summary: It's late, and Doyoung tells Shotaro a bedtime story.(Or: Doyoung tells his son the story of two gifted boys: himself, and Yuta.)
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 12
Kudos: 88





	some superhero, some fairytale bliss

**Author's Note:**

> for a little wonder fest - 23 days of wonder | day 7: bed time story

Yuta fell into his bed, rolling over to rest his head on Doyoung's chest.

Doyoung looked down from his book and smiled at him. When he talked, Yuta felt his voice resonating in his chest. “Is Taro asleep already?”

He hummed, staring at the ceiling. “I'm pretty sure he was when I left.”

Right on cue, they heard quiet footsteps and the door's hinges making a slight creak as it opened.

“Dad?”

Yuta lifted his head with a sigh. “Go to sleep, Shotaro.”

“I can’t,” the soft voice mumbled from the entrance to his room. 

"I'll go this time," Doyoung unwrapped Yuta and laid his head gently on the bed. "You get some rest."

Yuta collapsed into the pillows, and Doyoung could hear his faint, steady breathing as he left their room.

“Will you tell me a bedtime story, Papa?”

Doyoung couldn't say no to the child's puppy dog eyes and sat down next to his son, tucking him into bed. “What do you want to hear today?”

“The superhero one!” the kid exclaimed. Doyoung stroked his soft hair with a light hand.

“It's a bit long," the father told his son. "You sure you can stay up long enough for Papa to finish it?”

Shotaro nodded slowly. “Yes, please.”

Doyoung shut his eyes, recalling how the tale of the two heroes he loved to tell to his son began. "Once upon a time, there were two boys..."

Once upon a time, there were two boys. Ever since they were born, they knew they were special. They didn't know how they were different, but they could feel it, deep inside.

The two boys were given gifts no one else had. The first one was given destruction. He could make fire come from the palms of his hands, and he lived alone. He was afraid of his power, so scared of hurting his family.

The second boy was gifted with creation. He was one with the earth, and new plants grew wherever he went. He was loved by all and embraced his power.

The second boy had heard stories of the first, that he was evil, his rage unstoppable. The second boy crossed the sea to search for the first, intending to put out his fire forever. He found him in the land of sea and mountains, more lonely than angry, more misunderstood than villainous.

Instead of putting out the boy's flame, the second boy breathed life into the barren, burned land that he lived on. Instead of snuffing the boy's fire out, he offered him a helping hand.

They travelled back, building a home of their own. The two boys were happy together, living peacefully through their youth until disaster struck.

The village they lived in was under attack by a villain, a person like them who, instead of getting love and help, he got a cold shoulder.

The two fought back, defending the village and their people. When they won, they were dubbed heroes.

“ _Super_ heroes,” Shotaro corrected.

“Sorry,” smiled Doyoung. “I meant superheroes.”

When the villain was finally defeated, they packed their things and travelled the country, helping and saving the people who were in need with their amazing powers. They wore masks to protect their identities, and long capes that billowed in the wind. The capes weren't necessary, but the man who controlled fire had insisted.

As time went on, they grew tired of travelling and found a house in the big city, where there was crime around every corner. Since their new home was in the city, they worked to get rid of all the evil there. When there was no more, they hung up their capes and disappeared.

To this day, no one really knows where they went. Some say that the two superheroes moved elsewhere to take down a bigger villain, others claim that they were defeated, but their legacy lives on.

Every now and then, if they are looking hard enough, someone would spot two masked figures soaring across the sky.

"I don't like that ending," the child frowned.

"Well, how would you like it to end?"

He scratched his head, deep in thought. "If I made the story, they would come back to the city and start fighting the bad guys again!"

Doyoung cocked his head. "Why, Taro?"

"There will always be bad guys, right? No matter how many the superheroes fight."

"You're right."

"Why did they even go away?"

Doyoung shook his head. "I don't know. No one does, it's a _story_ , Taro."

Shotaro was silent, and Doyoung could almost see the gears turning in his head.

"If I were them, I would disappear for my family."

The unexpected answer made the father sit up. "Why?"

The child looked at him seriously. "Being a superhero isn't safe, right? I would go away so my family doesn't get hurt too."

"Yes, of course. Your family is always the most important," he checked his watch. "and it's getting late. Goodnight, Shotaro."

"Wait, Papa," he stares at Doyoung with misty eyes. "What do you think? Is taking care of your family more important, or saving the citizens?"

Doyoung didn't answer, turning off the nightlight in the corner and pressing a kiss to his son's forehead, who beamed at his father, stifling a yawn. "Night Papa!"

Doyoung tousled Shotaro's hair. When his eyelids began to droop, Doyoung snuck out of the room.

Yuta was fast asleep when he returned, and Doyoung settled in next to him, wrapping himself around the older. He lay there, sleep refusing to take over him.

That's when his eyes drifted to the closet, where a wooden chest sat at the very bottom, hidden beneath piles of clothes.

"Good morning," Yuta took a large gulp of his coffee, offering Doyoung a piece of freshly-made toast. "Can you drop me off after you send Taro to school? The buses are down."

Doyoung nodded, stretching his tired muscles and sipping from his own coffee.

"Papa," Shotaro excitedly spoke through a mouthful of cereal, pointing at the headlines of the newspaper.

He glanced at the newspaper, almost spitting out his drink when he did.

'ARE THEY BACK? FAMOUS SUPERHERO ANIMA REPORTEDLY SAVED 5 PEOPLE, INCLUDING 3 CHILDREN, FROM A CAR CRASH.'

Yuta peeked over his shoulder. "What is it, Do-"

He fixed Doyoung with a steely glare. "We need to talk."

"Bye Dad, bye Papa!" Shotaro chorused, waving goodbye to them as he skipped towards his school. Yuta looked at him fondly, pointedly ignoring Doyoung's gaze on him until their son had disappeared into the school grounds.

They took off without a word. It was only at a traffic light that Yuta spoke up.

"I'm not mad at you."

Doyoung gulped. "You sure look like you are-"

"I'm _not_. I understand how you feel," Yuta met his gaze, not pulling away. Doyoung could see the fire in his eyes. "I miss it too, sometimes. Chasing down criminals, freeing the city of crime and generally having fun." A flame appeared on Yuta's extended fingertip.

"I don't want us to be known to him as just a bedtime story." By the side of the road, a tree grew a few meters taller. "You want it back, right? Our old life?"

"I-"

"We can still have it, you know," Doyoung thought of what Shotaro had said last night. "The people need us. And defending the country doesn't mean we can't protect our son."

Yuta pressed his hand to his temples. "I don't know anymore."

"We can," he fiercely exclaimed. "If there's anyone that can balance _this_ and family life, it's us."

Doyoung offered his hand to Yuta, the same way he had done so many years ago. "It's just you and me, Fireboy."

Yuta had taken his hand the first time. This time, it was no different.

He drove down the road with Yuta's hand in his.

**Author's Note:**

>  _some superhero, some fairytale bliss_ is a line from "something just like this", a song by the chainsmokers and coldplay
> 
>  _anima_ is doyoung's hero alias. it is latin, and carries the meaning of "a current of air, wind, air, breath, the vital principle, life, soul"
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/maelstrcms) / [curious cat](https://curiouscat.qa/maelstrcms)


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